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Only  Yesterday

First Posted: 11/25/2013 Opinions about pornography abound.
Some are morally opposed to it; others believe it is addictive. Some argue that pornography degrades women, while others believe it plays a role in healthy sexual expression. Whatever the truth, pornography has been around for several millennia in various incarnations. It&#8217;s been said that even the ancient Egyptians had sophisticated forms of porn.
It has also been estimated that worldwide sales of pornography &#8211; including DVDs, books, magazines, and Internet pay sites &#8211; adds $97 billion dollars to the global economy. Moreover, according to the research, commercial pornography exists in every industrialized society and in many developing nations, too. The message is clear: one could imagine a very &#8220;limp&#8221; global economy if all of these skin flicks were to suddenly vanish.
Pornography by the numbers: 
&#8226; Between 10,000 and 15,000 pornographic films are made annually in the United States.&#8226; In 2005, Playboy Enterprises reported revenue of more than $338 million.&#8226; A content analysis of 50 random porno films reveals fellatio as the most frequent sexual act, followed by vaginal intercourse.&#8226; In one study, 92 percent of young men and 50 percent of young women reported using sexually explicit materials as a masturbatory aid.And there are no shortages of pornographic &#8220;styles,&#8221; as I call them: from voyeurism to lesbian to homosexual pornography&#8230; a simple Google search reveals thousands upon thousands of pornographic images and videos, all reflecting many different sexual tastes and desires. Pornographic digital diversity is a reality, one that becomes apparent with each &#8220;click.&#8221; Yet, according to the research, despite the diversity on the web, &#8220;men&#8217;s Internet choices are no different from their other commercial pornography choices.&#8221;
Generally speaking, men tend to pursue short-term mating strategies (which is why male infidelity is higher), while women tend to pursue long-term mating strategies. This reflects in male-oriented pornography, where women are often portrayed as young, willing, and anonymous.
And from an evolutionary perspective, this all makes sense.
&#8220;Natural selection,&#8221; writes Catherine Salmon, author of one study, &#8220;has shaped psychological adaptations specialized to process information about mate quality.&#8221;
Salmon goes on to say that an evolutionary perspective of pornography &#8211; rather than a moral or philosophical one &#8211; allows us to examine how pornography and romance embody essential aspects of male and female mating psychology.
Source: &#8220;The Pop Culture of Sex: An Evolutionary Window on the Worlds of Pornography and Romance,&#8221; Review of General Psychology, 2012.

SINGLE IN THE CITY: Pick your porn